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Matt Evans drops fake Damian Lillard news, tries to play it off as a joke

By Quentin Thorne

OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 30: Portland Trail Blazers gard Damian Lillard looks on from the sidelines at pregame warm ups prior to the start of an NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 30, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 30: Portland Trail Blazers gard Damian Lillard looks on from the sidelines at pregame warm ups prior to the start of an NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 30, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Damian Lillard is no stranger to calling out others on Twitter, his latest victim is sensationalist Matt Evans who runs the twitter account @LaLakersUK.

With absolutely nothing to substantiate his claims Evans made a tweet insinuating that Lillard wants out from the Portland Trail Blazers, and is eyeing a move to Los Angeles. That could not be further from the truth, and Damian Lillard wants the whole world to know it.

In response to the tweet Damian wrote “Do yooooouuu knooooow what todaaaaay iiiiiis? Lol.”

Referring to the fact that it was April 1st and quashing any possible rumor moving forward.

What is more laughable is the account, feeling ashamed and defensive is now trying to play it off as a joke. While he is right that the circus is giving him more attention, he has lost all credibility as a journalist moving forward.

Sports journalists are trained to report based on fact, rather than stimulating their own opinions. Matt Evans did the exact opposite.

If this was not enough Evans has boasted himself claiming that he is “well on [his] way to NBA domination.” Additionally, he addressed potential readers on TalkBasket.net that “thank me later, Laker nation. Contact has been made. Next step, seeing Lillard in purple and gold.”

If he knew even an inkling about Damian Lillard or was a credible journalist, Evans would know Lillard is committed to staying in Portland.

But let’s play hypothetical just to amuse the man who caused the whole circus act.

Lillard is on the super max and thus is under contract through the 2022-2023 NBA season. Looking ahead to next season, he is set to get paid $31,626,953.

The Lakers are thin with available trade assets, especially in draft stock: the team gave up a top-eight protected pick in 2021 (which becomes unprotected in 2022 if the pick remains protected in 2021), a pick swap in 2023 and unprotected pick in 2024. In other words New Orleans owns the Lakers draft stock after the Anthony Davis trade.

Los Angeles certainly will not give up LeBron James or Davis in pursuit of acquiring Damian Lillard. In addition, Los Angeles is in the luxury tax so they have to match Lillard’s salary to bring him into the fold.

A trade like that would require sending Portland Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Avery Bradley and Kyle Kuzma.

A four-player trade offer without any draft stock to sweeten the deal, and that does not help the Trail Blazers free up cap space, is simply illogical. Portland General Manager Neil Olshey would never part ways with the team’s franchise player for four role players in return.

Without any logic, credibility in sources or cap space to substantiate his claims, Matt Evans is what many basketball fans would refer to as a “clown”.

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Evans and his account LakersUK should think twice before conjuring up fake news. Trying to play it off as a joke, and laughing at bad publicity does not benefit him. However, he is behaving as if it does.

Lakers fans, Blazers fans and NBA fans around the world should take everything Evans says with a grain of salt. Matt Evans expecting to have a legitimate career in journalism is laughable by the entire sports community.

Until then he can continue to behave like a moron on Twitter.